Has your Country signed up to the Marrakesh Treaty? A call to action

The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled (MVT) was adopted on 27 June 2013 in Marrakesh and forms part of the body of international copyright treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

Its main goal is to create a set of mandatory limitations and exceptions to ensure more works are accessible to the blind, visually impaired and otherwise print disabled (VIPs) and help end the book famine for this community; only about 7% of published works are made available globally in accessible formats, such as Braille, audio and large print, and digital formats. A full summary of the Marrakesh Treaty can be found here.

Has your country signed up to the Treaty?

37 countries have so far signed up to the Marrakesh Treaty; Lesotho being the latest supporter. You can find a list of the countries that are party to the treaty here.

If not, what can your organisation do?

Find out which government department would be responsible for considering this Treaty, such as a Ministry of Culture, Intellectual Property Office or Justice Department,